Bonds away

Cubs pitchers will have their work cut out for them trying to get out the game's most dominant hitter. Their best bet: pitching him high and inside.

Top 5 Bonds-Cubs moments of 2003

JULY 31 VS. ZAMBRANO

- During the fifth inning at Wrigley Field, Carlos Zambrano retires Bonds on a liner to the mound to strand the bases loaded. Zambrano begins pumping his fist in exaggerated fashion while staring back at the Giants slugger. "I didn't see it," Bonds says. "But that kid will respect me. He'll learn fast." Zambrano shrugs it off. "It was a big out," Zambrano says.

MAY 1 VS. PRIOR

- Bonds stares down Mark Prior after being hit by a pitch. Both benches clear and Cubs manager Dusty Baker whispers something in Bonds' ear during the incident. What was Prior thinking when Bonds stalked toward him? "Nothing," he says. "He's just another No. 3 hitter. Obviously he's a pretty good one, but you're going to run a risk with any No. 3 hitter."

APRIL 30 VS. CLEMENT

- Baker lets Matt Clement pitch to Bonds with first base open in the third inning. Bonds rockets a 2-2 pitch into the leftcenter bleachers, giving the Giants a 4-0 lead. He adds a solo homer into McCovey Cove leading off the sixth. Should Clement have pitched around Bonds in the third? "Not really," Baker says. "... I wasn't going to walk him with two strikes. To me, that's not baseball. You still have to pitch to guys at certain times."

JULY 30 VS. WRIGLEY FIELD

- During batting practice, Bonds puts a ball through the window of an apartment building on Sheffield Avenue, one of more than a dozen shots over the right-field wall. "Is that all you got?" shouts teammate Ray Durham.

MAY 5 VS. SOSA

- While criticizing the umpiring after a Cubs loss to Milwaukee, Sammy Sosa brings up the name of his archrival. "At least they give a chance to Barry Bonds," he says. "Why can't they give it to me too? It's too much."

Feasting on fastballs

The Cubs' hard-throwing right-handers have to be careful how they approach Bonds, one of the league's best fastball hitters.

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PITCHES OVERALL VS. RHPs VS LHPs

Fastballs .404 .425 .355

Curves .313 .381 .182

Sliders .254 .185 .306

Changeups .242 .226 ---

Splitters .222 .222 ---

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Favoring the right side

Location of balls put in play

Many teams shift a third infielder to the right side of second base against Bonds.